A political group, Ondo Elites Assembly (OEA) has hailed the decision of the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ruling out automatic ticket for the governor of the state, Lucky Ayedatiwa, or any of the aspirants jostling for the ticket of the party.
This was contained in a statement signed by the group’s General Secretary, Chief Yemi Oladiran, who said the ruling APC has shown that the party was a party that embrace internal democracy and will not give room to imposition of candidates.
Oladiran, who noted that APC is built on the rule of law and that the APC would carry out due process when the time comes to select its flag bearer in the forthcoming election in the state.
The group, reacting to the statement of the National Publicity of APC, Felix Morka, who
ruled out automatic ticket for Ayedatiwa or any aspirant, saying everyone who desires nomination must earn it.
Morka maintained that there will be no automatic ticket for anyone contesting the 2024 governorship election on the party’s platform, insisted that the party would not give an automatic ticket.
He said the people of the state will not accept any result that does not flow from a transparent election, saying “we are not asking for any favour. We only demand a free and fair election, ‘’
The group called on the leadership of APC to provide a level playing field for all aspirants so as to avoid unnecessary dispute in the coming days as any attempt to subvert the rules was inimical to democractic process.
Oladiran also urged compliance with the provisions of the party to avoid legal troubles, adding that “we believe the views expressed by Morka, is not different from what the party has been saying and we want to support the party on the issue.
“The endorsement of a particular aspirant negates democratic culture and will affect the outcome of the general election
“So, all what we are seeking for is credible primaries, transparent primaries and level playing ground that we will all be proud of at the end of the day for the outcome.
“The support we expect from the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and party leadership is a level playing field, that’s all.
“Whoever is popular, let him win. The party must truly demonstrate its leadership role by providing a level playing field for all the contestants.
“There should be no one person who will sit in his comfort zone to say this is the candidate, because.if this dangerous trend is not checkee, the consequences will be dire for democracy and our country
“We want the party to select the best from the array of quality aspirants. The society should develop a socio-political condition compatible with democratic principles.”